Johnson and Johnson has been in the news lately because of their corrupt business practices and for illegally marketing Risperdal. I am just a mom. I'm not a doctor, lawyer, social worker or public servant; and I want to know how so many people who are in these professions have failed our children so very badly? There has been no accountability within psychiatry, social services, Medicaid, or CPS for the grievous harm done to children across the Country. Drugs can be used "off-label" once approved for any reason, but "off-label" use is supposed to be based on empirical data, not a marketing scheme. The FDA is NOT protecting the American people---perhaps because of the major conflict of interest that it has due to receiving a significant portion of it's budget from the pharmaceutical industry it is supposed to regulate.
Being a medical professional, working in public service or any other type of work does not make people impervious to what are in fact human traits--having biases and making errors of attribution are human flaws; none of which magically go away; they are not cured by earning a college degree, obtaining a medical license, or working in any profession. A medical degree does not grant a person some sort of super human powers which render them incapable of making mistakes. Pride seems to keep many from ever acknowledging mistakes made. Pride is the mask of one's own faults, and serves in this respect to prevent a person for being accountable for their actions.
I have no doubt that we were told a lie when we were told my son's records are "not available" when we requested them; State Law requires these records be retained for several more years. But, his Medical Record is in fact evidence of a crime that was committed when he was prescribed an illegally marketed neuroleptic drug on an ongoing basis, from the time he was eight years old---a decade before it was approved for pediatric use. Risperdal was prescribed to treat his aggression, his primary diagnosis was PTSD; which my son had as a result of being victimized by violent assault--in foster care; and he had been diagnosed with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy by EEG.
The amount of betrayal and loss at times, is overwhelming. The added trauma of never being heard, never getting the recommended treatment, never being told the truth about the drugs...The guilt I used to feel about not starting to research the drugs given to my child sooner was overwhelming. I TRUSTED the psychiatrists. Until it looked like my son was dying; and I got the impression it was a bother to answer questions about the drugs being "trialed" by the psychiatrist, who was Medical Director of the State of Washington's psychiatric research facility for children. It was obvious to me the drugs were causing my son harm. I was repeatedly told I had no say. I was just his mother, and the "doctor" maintained my approval or informed consent were not required. The man broke the law; I am sure of that.
He is not the only psychiatrist who told me I had no say--two psychiatrists in the community after I brought my son home in 2005 told me the same thing; claiming that Washington State's age of consent law means parents have no say in what treatment is provided to their child, even if their child cannot hold a conversation or actually give an Informed Consent. I have no doubt that this law is used to exclude parents, putting children at risk when they are prescribed drugs with serious, even fatal risks without their parents being made aware of the negative effects to watch out for. This law serves to protect the prescribers who fail to conform with Ethical Guidelines for Informed Consent and the protects the State of Washington for failing to protect children in State custody, more than it protects a child from potential and actual harm.
Parents are not told the plain and simple truth: children have died from neuroleptic drugs, called anti-psychotics, Risperdal is one of several that have in fact been used on children 'off-label' for decades, before ever being approved for pediatric use. The majority of the prescriptions were fraudulently billed to the Federal Medicaid program; when a drug is prescribed 'off-label' prior to FDA approval, it is Medicaid fraud.
The following are excerpts from the testimony of Vera Hassner Sherav, founder of the Alliance for Human Research Protection, submitted to the Hearing on the Utilization of Psychotropic Medication for Children in Foster Care before the COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS SUBCOMMITTEE ON INCOME SECURITY AND FAMILY SUPPORT in 2008:
"Were these approvals science-based decisions or marketing decisions? Clearly, American children’s physical and mental health is being undermined by toxic drugs prescribed by child psychiatrists and other physicians under the undue influence of the pharmaceutical industry."
"...evidence that raises questions about whether Dr. Thomas Laughren, FDA’s highest ranking official in charge of psychiatric drug products, has a conflict of interest contributing to the problem of children’s exposure to antipsychotics. Dr. Laughren’s close ties with industry and his name penned to industry-sponsored consensus conference reports (ghost-written, we should add) may explain the recent inexplicable surge of FDA administrative approvals for the expanded use of toxic antipsychotic drugs for children."
"These approvals were determined after secret deliberations—without disclosure of scientific data, without an advisory panel or open public discussion. No credible evidence of a clinical benefit for any childhood “condition” has ever been presented by independent, non-industry generated studies to offset the well-documented evidence of the debilitating and disabling effects produced by these drugs." Vera's testimony
I have two sons and they are almost five years apart--my youngest, hit puberty before his older brother, but then he was on Risperdal--which alters hormone function. My son has experienced a great deal of loss; both physical and emotional harm by the "treatment" forced upon him in lieu of the treatment which was recommended---How many more will be robbed of their health and their abilities before we stop the madness of indiscriminately drugging behaviors as "brain diseases" "brain disorders" and "chemical imbalances" when there is no scientific evidence to support this claim?
My hope is the Department of Justice makes a concerted and consistent effort to put a stop to the abuse of patients that permeates "mental health treatment" that is characterized by fraud, corruption, coercion, lack of accountability, unethical research, unethical standard clinical practices that results in adverse outcomes of disability and early death for patients who are victimized by having this bio-medical madness forced on them.
Being a medical professional, working in public service or any other type of work does not make people impervious to what are in fact human traits--having biases and making errors of attribution are human flaws; none of which magically go away; they are not cured by earning a college degree, obtaining a medical license, or working in any profession. A medical degree does not grant a person some sort of super human powers which render them incapable of making mistakes. Pride seems to keep many from ever acknowledging mistakes made. Pride is the mask of one's own faults, and serves in this respect to prevent a person for being accountable for their actions.
I have no doubt that we were told a lie when we were told my son's records are "not available" when we requested them; State Law requires these records be retained for several more years. But, his Medical Record is in fact evidence of a crime that was committed when he was prescribed an illegally marketed neuroleptic drug on an ongoing basis, from the time he was eight years old---a decade before it was approved for pediatric use. Risperdal was prescribed to treat his aggression, his primary diagnosis was PTSD; which my son had as a result of being victimized by violent assault--in foster care; and he had been diagnosed with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy by EEG.
The amount of betrayal and loss at times, is overwhelming. The added trauma of never being heard, never getting the recommended treatment, never being told the truth about the drugs...The guilt I used to feel about not starting to research the drugs given to my child sooner was overwhelming. I TRUSTED the psychiatrists. Until it looked like my son was dying; and I got the impression it was a bother to answer questions about the drugs being "trialed" by the psychiatrist, who was Medical Director of the State of Washington's psychiatric research facility for children. It was obvious to me the drugs were causing my son harm. I was repeatedly told I had no say. I was just his mother, and the "doctor" maintained my approval or informed consent were not required. The man broke the law; I am sure of that.
He is not the only psychiatrist who told me I had no say--two psychiatrists in the community after I brought my son home in 2005 told me the same thing; claiming that Washington State's age of consent law means parents have no say in what treatment is provided to their child, even if their child cannot hold a conversation or actually give an Informed Consent. I have no doubt that this law is used to exclude parents, putting children at risk when they are prescribed drugs with serious, even fatal risks without their parents being made aware of the negative effects to watch out for. This law serves to protect the prescribers who fail to conform with Ethical Guidelines for Informed Consent and the protects the State of Washington for failing to protect children in State custody, more than it protects a child from potential and actual harm.
Parents are not told the plain and simple truth: children have died from neuroleptic drugs, called anti-psychotics, Risperdal is one of several that have in fact been used on children 'off-label' for decades, before ever being approved for pediatric use. The majority of the prescriptions were fraudulently billed to the Federal Medicaid program; when a drug is prescribed 'off-label' prior to FDA approval, it is Medicaid fraud.
The following are excerpts from the testimony of Vera Hassner Sherav, founder of the Alliance for Human Research Protection, submitted to the Hearing on the Utilization of Psychotropic Medication for Children in Foster Care before the COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS SUBCOMMITTEE ON INCOME SECURITY AND FAMILY SUPPORT in 2008:
"Were these approvals science-based decisions or marketing decisions? Clearly, American children’s physical and mental health is being undermined by toxic drugs prescribed by child psychiatrists and other physicians under the undue influence of the pharmaceutical industry."
"...evidence that raises questions about whether Dr. Thomas Laughren, FDA’s highest ranking official in charge of psychiatric drug products, has a conflict of interest contributing to the problem of children’s exposure to antipsychotics. Dr. Laughren’s close ties with industry and his name penned to industry-sponsored consensus conference reports (ghost-written, we should add) may explain the recent inexplicable surge of FDA administrative approvals for the expanded use of toxic antipsychotic drugs for children."
"These approvals were determined after secret deliberations—without disclosure of scientific data, without an advisory panel or open public discussion. No credible evidence of a clinical benefit for any childhood “condition” has ever been presented by independent, non-industry generated studies to offset the well-documented evidence of the debilitating and disabling effects produced by these drugs." Vera's testimony
I have two sons and they are almost five years apart--my youngest, hit puberty before his older brother, but then he was on Risperdal--which alters hormone function. My son has experienced a great deal of loss; both physical and emotional harm by the "treatment" forced upon him in lieu of the treatment which was recommended---How many more will be robbed of their health and their abilities before we stop the madness of indiscriminately drugging behaviors as "brain diseases" "brain disorders" and "chemical imbalances" when there is no scientific evidence to support this claim?
My hope is the Department of Justice makes a concerted and consistent effort to put a stop to the abuse of patients that permeates "mental health treatment" that is characterized by fraud, corruption, coercion, lack of accountability, unethical research, unethical standard clinical practices that results in adverse outcomes of disability and early death for patients who are victimized by having this bio-medical madness forced on them.
2 comments:
Becky,
Don't lose hope.
This is a comment that speaks volumes...
It comes from one who is on the inside (recently posted on a blog) -
"In my own experience, it’s distressing to have witnessed over the last 20 years what began as an exciting era of neurobiological clinical research with the advent of the “decade of the brain” in the 90s, but then regressing to the dismal state of affairs currently…what I believe will ultimately be regarded as our greatest betrayal to the public trust as a profession; ie, the massive exploitation of millions by an enterprising pseudoscientific industry under the guise of progressive mental health care. And certainly the unholy alliance between big pharma and academic psychiatry facilitated its creation. When all the numbers are tallied in direct and indirect costs of this colossal wasteland, we may not survive, and perhaps we shouldn’t. It’s particularly saddening that the very same practices are being applied to our children, who unfortunately are not in a position to give informed consent, and are truly victims of a very impaired system." - Scott Zenter, M.D.
... My comment -
Keep the faith!
Psychiatry is build on a myth...
And a myth cannot live forever!
My best,
Duane Sherry, M.S.
discoverandrecover.wordpress.com
Duane,
Thanks for your encouragement, and for including Dr.Scott Zenter's comment as well.
I have hope, at times it is fleeting; but it is never lost completely...
Becky
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